When leadership development highlights organisational weaknesses

When leadership development highlights organisational weaknesses

Leadership development is seen by many as a key to organisational success. A well-trained, confident leader is able to inspire his or her team, make quick and effective decisions, and advance the goals of the organisation. But developing leaders often goes beyond improving individual competencies – it often reveals hidden weaknesses in organisational functioning. In many cases, developing individual capabilities reveals that the effectiveness of organisational communication, processes or structures does not adequately support the work of leaders.

In this post, we will explore why it is worthwhile to look at organisational communication and processes when training managers, and how this context can be used for organisational development.

Why does leadership development reveal organisational weaknesses?

When developing a leader, programmes often focus on skills such as communication, conflict management, strategic thinking or decision-making. These skills are extremely useful, but if they are not supported by the organisational environment, the impact of individual development can be significantly reduced. There are many reasons for this:

1. Gaps in communication systems

Managers are often at the heart of organisational communication. If training reveals that managers are unable to exchange information effectively with other departments or teams, this is not always a fault of their individual skills. Often organisational communication channels are slow, complex or simply inadequate.

2. Inefficient organisational processes

A leader’s decision-making skills can be wasted if organisational processes are too bureaucratic, slow or opaque. Leadership development often reveals that effective decision-making would also require process re-engineering.

3. Management feedback reflects organisational problems

When developing leaders, feedback often emerges that points to deeper problems in the organisation. For example:

• Priorities are not clear.
• There is a lack of cooperation between teams.
• Organisational goals are not well communicated.

4. Environment that hinders the work of managers

Managers often indicate that organisational culture, structure or regulations make it difficult for them to work effectively. This may suggest that not only individual skills but also organisational systems need to be improved.

Why is it important to develop organisational communication and processes in parallel with leaders?

Managers can make the best use of the knowledge they acquire through development if they are supported by the organisational environment. Here’s why leadership development should be complemented by improvements in organisational communication and processes.

1. The impact of leaders can be multiplied

If organisational communication is fast, efficient and transparent, leaders will be able to respond more quickly to challenges and better coordinate their teams.

2. Aligning individual and organisational goals

In an effective organisation, the values and policies of the leaders are in line with the goals of the organisation. This is only possible if the organisational structures and processes support a common direction.

3. Sustainable development

In the long term, the individual development of leaders will only bring results if the organisational environment also improves. Otherwise, the contradictions between individual skills and organisational constraints can quickly set progress back.

4. Unified organisational functioning

Collaboration between managers and unity of purpose can only be achieved if organisational communication and processes support it.

How do we exploit the links between leadership development and organisational development?

Leadership development programmes should place a strong emphasis on linking individual development to organisational change. Below are some of the ways in which this can be done:

1. Systemic diagnosis during leadership training
   Use leadership development training to identify weaknesses in organisational communication and processes.
2. Integrated development programmes
   It is worth linking management training to organisational development projects that focus on improving communication channels, decision-making processes or culture.
3. Regularly collect feedback from managers
   Managers’ experiences and feedback provide valuable information to improve the way the organisation works. It is therefore worth creating forums for sharing such feedback during training sessions.
4. Establish consistent policies and goals
   Ensure that leadership development programmes are aligned with the long-term goals of the organisation and support the development of the organisation as a whole.

Summary: Development at all levels

Leadership development is not only a tool to improve individual skills, but also an opportunity to identify deeper weaknesses in the functioning of the organisation. When leadership development is combined with improvements in organisational communication and processes, the results can be significantly multiplied. Individual development and organisational change together guarantee sustainable success.

AgadoPro-Academy offers programmes that support development at both individual and organisational level. If you want your leaders to not only be better, but also more effective in your organisation, contact us with confidence! Together, we’ll find solutions that move both leaders and organizations forward. 🚀

Attila Jezsó

Got a question? Contact us and together we will put together a tailor-made development package. We’ll even support you on the spot with consultants and coaches to make the change a success!

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